Post-election hearing set on Faulkner ex-clerk's eligibilityCONWAY — A Faulkner County circuit judge says election officials must count votes but not immediately certify the results in the race for county clerk after one of the candidates pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge. Judge David Clark said Monday that he didn't want his court "to have a chilling impact on the election." Clark set a hearing for Nov. 9, the day after the election, to determine the eligibility of former county clerk Margaret Da...

Arkansas' gas utilities to raise ratesLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas' three gas utilities are raising their rates, primarily because of an increase in the price of natural gas. CenterPoint Energy, Black Hills Energy and Arkansas Oklahoma-Gas told the state's Public Service Commission on Monday that rate changes will take effect starting Tuesday and will end March 31, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/2evMFvz ). The commission isn't required to hold hearings to appr...

Medical pot group asks Arkansas court to reconsider rulingLITTLE ROCK — The campaign behind a medical marijuana proposal disqualified from Arkansas' ballot days after early voting began asked the state Supreme Court Monday to consider reinstating the measure, saying the ruling would make it more difficult for grassroots groups to put initiatives on the ballot. Arkansans for Compassionate Care filed a petition for rehearing with the court over its decision last week ordering election officials to not ...

Arkansas governor backs $10M higher education boost in 2018LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Monday proposed keeping higher education funding flat next fiscal year but vowed to back a $10 million increase in 2018 if lawmakers support a plan to tie money for colleges and universities to factors such as degree completion. The Republican governor said he'll call for increasing higher education funding in the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2018 if the Legislature approves the plan to move awa...

3 fatal shootings by Arkansas police under investigationLITTLE ROCK — Two central Arkansas police departments investigating three fatal shootings by officers this month have withheld some information, including the name of the officer involved in one case and the type of weapon carried by the man shot in another case. On Tuesday, Little Rock officer Dennis Hutchins fatally shot Roy Richards, 46, after Richards pointed a "long gun" at another man and Hutchins feared the man would be shot, police sai...

Faulkner County panel to back former county clerkCONWAY — The Faulkner County Election Commission has voted to back a former county clerk despite her guilty plea to obstruction of governmental operations. The commission voted Thursday for its attorney to argue that Republican Margaret Darter should be allowed to stay in the race for county clerk, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/2eiYAwo ). Darter was the clerk until she entered her plea and resigned the same day afte...

Pine Bluff man killed in shooting at Monticello gas stationMONTICELLO — Arkansas State Police say a Pine Bluff man has been killed in a shooting at a gas station in Monticello. State police say 25-year-old Hunter Laney was shot shortly after 2 a.m. Saturday as he sat in the driver's seat of his vehicle outside the station on U.S. Highway 278. No arrests were announced. State police say the shooting appears to be related to a dispute that began earlier at a nightclub in Monticello and that a sport util...

Arkansas inmate dies after jumping from prison's 3rd tierMALVERN, Ark. (AP) — Corrections officials say an inmate has died after jumping from the third tier of his housing area at a state prison in Malvern. Arkansas Department of Correction spokesman Solomon Graves says inmate Danta Sullivan died Wednesday at the Ouachita River Correctional Unit. Graves says Arkansas State Police will conduct an investigation into Sullivan's death, and the state corrections department will also conduct an internal i...

Arkansas police officer who fatally shot teen is identifiedBENTON — Police have released the name of a central Arkansas police officer who fatally shot a 17-year-old boy after a family disturbance earlier this month. Police told reporters Friday that officer Kyle Ellison shot and killed Keagan Schweikle in a wooded area near Schweikle's home in Benton, about 25 miles southwest of Little Rock. Police said previously that officers were called on Oct. 17 to the disturbance that included a teenager with a...

David Pryor moved to rehab center for treatmentLITTLE ROCK -- Family members say former Arkansas governor and U.S. Sen. David Pryor has been moved to a rehabilitation center for treatment after he suffered a stroke earlier this month. His son, former U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, said the family is optimistic about David Pryor's recovery. Mark Pryor told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that his 82-year-old father left the Washington Regional Medical Center last Saturday and has been moved to a rehab...

Arkansas court disqualifies 2nd medical marijuana proposalLITTLE ROCK— The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday disqualified a medical marijuana proposal from the ballot less than two weeks before the election and with thousands of votes already cast, but voters will still be able to consider a competing plan. In a 5-2 ruling, the court sided with opponents of the proposed initiated act — known as Issue 7 — that would have allowed patients with certain medical conditions and a doctor's recommendation t...

Work continues on Arkansas Governor's Mansion repairsLITTLE ROCK — Work continues at the Arkansas Governor's Mansion to rectify several issues, including the wall interior, the subpar insulation and the lingering smell of rats in Gov. Asa Hutchinson's private office. The Arkansas Governor's Mansion Commission met Wednesday to discuss the state of the building. First lady Susan Hutchinson told commissioners that while in the process of taking out walls in the private office, wiring issues were di...

Man convicted of Arkansas murder as juvenile to be releasedFAYETTEVILLE — A judge has ordered the release of a 59-year-old man convicted of a killing that occurred in Arkansas more than 40 years ago. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/2dIkgpN ) reports that Dennis Lewis of Wichita, Kansas, was 17 years old when he fatally shot Jared Cobb during a robbery at a Springdale pawn shop in April 1974. Lewis was convicted of capital murder and assault with the intent to rob in the case, an...

Petit Jean Electric Co-op receives federal loan for projectLITTLE ROCK — Petit Jean Electric Cooperative Corp. in Arkansas will receive a nearly $21.7 million federal loan for construction and improvement projects. The loan is part of $3.6 billion in loans to 82 projects in 31 states announced Wednesday by U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. These loans will finance infrastructure upgrades, create jobs and improve system operations for rural electric customers nationwide. The Petit J...

Arkansas Children's breaking ground on new bilingual clinicLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Children's Hospital is breaking ground on a new clinic aimed at expanding access to medical care for thousands of children, many of them from Spanish-speaking families. The new clinic in southwest Little Rock is expected to open next spring. Officials say the new facility will feature a bilingual staff, 15 exam rooms, an X-ray suite and a laboratory. Dr. Eddie Ochoa says many Spanish-speaking families live in southwest L...

Arkansas woman gets 47 years in prison in teen's deathASHDOWN — A woman charged in the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old girl during a birthday party in southwest Arkansas has pleaded guilty in the case and has been sentenced to 47 years in prison. Authorities say 41-year-old Traci Dierks was serving alcohol to minors at her residence near Foreman on Jan. 23, when a rifle she was carrying discharged, striking Caitlin Caskey in the chest. The birthday party was for Dierks' 16-year-old daughter. The ...

Thousands cast ballots early for election in ArkansasLITTLE ROCK — Thousands of Arkansas voters cast an early ballot Monday for a November election that's highlighted by the bitter presidential race and a medical marijuana legalization plan that remains in limbo before the state's highest court. A spokesman for Secretary of State Mark Martin said 22,895 people voted early by late afternoon Monday, the first day of early voting, but cautioned the numbers only represented about two-thirds of Arkan...

Put War Memorial under parks department, governor urgesLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas' governor is proposing that the state's parks and tourism department take over control of Little Rock's War Memorial Stadium. Gov. Asa Hutchinson says giving the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism oversight will "provide stability" for the stadium. The move would require approval from the Legislature. The University of Arkansas' football team is under contract to play one game at War Memorial each season until 2018...

Indicted Arkansas ex-judge released to family before trialLITTLE ROCK — A former Arkansas judge accused of bribery, fraud and witness tampering related to allegations he gave lighter sentences to male defendants in exchange for nude photos, spanking and other sexual acts has been released to the custody of family members. U.S. Magistrate Judge Joe Volpe agreed at a hearing Tuesday to release 70-year-old Joseph Boeckmann to relatives in Hot Springs. Federal prosecutors objected to his release because ...

Owner of collapsed Pine Bluff building sentencedPINE BLUFF — The owner of a partially collapsed building in downtown Pine Bluff has been sentenced to 30 days in jail for failing to remove or repair the building. The Pine Bluff Commercial (http://bit.ly/2eNSh3V ) reports that Garland Trice was sentenced Monday. The sentence will be suspended if Trice demolishes the building. Trice was also fined $1,000. The roof of the building collapsed onto its third floor in July 2014, causing a section o...